What is included in the project that will be funded by the bond?

The project includes both renovations and additions to the existing K-12 building. These improvements will include:

• A secure, new main entrance located adjacent to parking for better access and safety

• An addition of four classrooms to accommodate growing class sizes

  • A space adjacent to the new classrooms will be renovated to accommodate existing programs that currently don’t have dedicated space

• A new gym with locker rooms that will also serve as storm shelter

• Paved parking lot to address the flooding and maintenance issues

• A safe walkway from the Tiny Tigers building

 

What changes were made from the bond that was proposed in March 2024?

Our Board of Education listened to area residents during several public listening sessions in May and June and used community feedback and input to develop the updated bond proposal. As a result, they:

• Reduced the overall bond amount by $1,000,000 and reduced the levy by 6 cents 

• Preserved the focus on academics with the addition of four classrooms to alleviate crowding along with adding space for physical education instruction

 

Critical components of the earlier proposal were maintained, including:

• Safety features including the secure front entrance and a storm shelter that can be accessed by all students and staff.

• Improvements to the parking lot, including paving in front of the door to reduce gravel and dirt being tracked into the school.

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Why has the board of education called a bond election for November 5, 2024?

Our facility’s challenges, including overcrowding in our growing district, did not go away when the bond failed in March. Over the summer, the Board of Education and Administration invited all residents to share feedback about the original proposal. 

 

School leaders took the concerns to heart. The plans were scaled back to reduce the cost of the bond while maintaining a focus on academics, critical academic requirements and important safety and security components. 

 

The proposed plan addresses many of the urgent needs identified during the professional facilities audit completed in 2023. School staff and community members also helped to identify facility needs and priorities through numerous meetings that took place throughout 2023. These needs will require a large capital investment and the community group ultimately decided that a bond issue is the most efficient financial and educational solution to address these needs.

 

What is the bond amount on the ballot?

The ballot asks for a bond not to exceed $12,995,000. The district has been accumulating reserves in its depreciation fund in anticipation of addressing facility needs and will be able to use funds on hand to help pay down the cost of the project.

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How will the bond impact my taxes?

A bond amount of $12,995,000 will be a net levy impact of 27 cents per $100 of assessed value. This means:

$100,000 property = $22.50 additional tax per month/$270 per year

Irrigated Acre = $8.92 additional tax per year

 

These calculations take into account current bond rates with existing conservative assumptions, such as assuming no valuation growth over time. If the bond issue passes, the Board plans to reduce the Special Building Fund and Bond Fund levies because existing bonds will be paid off), creating a net levy impact for taxpayers. Click here to view tax tables and calculate your individual tax impact.

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Does this affect my status with the Homestead Tax Exemption Act?

If you currently qualify for the Nebraska Homestead Tax Exemption and are exempt or partially exempt from other taxes, then those same exemptions will apply to the school bond. 

Homestead exemptions are available to qualified individuals who are 65 years of age or older, veterans, individuals with disabilities and others. For more information, please refer to the Nebraska Homestead Exemption Information Guide. 

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What is our current and projected enrollment?

Total enrollment has grown considerably over the past 10 years. We have added 50 students from our 2014 enrollment.

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Our current enrollment is greater in the elementary grades, so we project total enrollment to increase as those grades progress.

K - 6th grades average 24.7 students. 

7th - 12th grades average 19.3 students.

 

​Click here for charts showing enrollment trends.

 

How will the project impact educational opportunities for our students?

The new classroom addition will reduce crowding in classrooms and improve educational opportunities for students. Renovating existing space will provide confidential spaces for special interventions, including the Licensed Mental Health Practitioner, School Psychologist, Speech Language Pathologist, Physical Therapist, and Occupational Therapist. The additional space created with the new gym will be used for a variety of classes, school programs, extracurricular activities, indoor recess, practices, and events.

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What are our current option numbers and how might the project impact option enrollment?

Over the past 10 years, the enrollment count of resident students and the option student enrollment count have both risen, resulting in an overall increase in enrollment of 19%. The overall percentage of students option enrolled has remained stable over the past decade between 35 and 40 percent. Net funding for option students has totaled $5,057,414 over the past five years.

 

To see charts of our option enrollment trends as well as the annual financial impact of those students, click here to visit the Resources page.

 

Will the project increase our ability to grow?

Yes. The project will include a capacity for 400 students. We currently have a PK-12 enrollment of 319.

 

Why do we need a gym?

The gymnasium will provide necessary educational space for the school. It will be used for indoor recess, classes, practices and events. For example, several events are set up in the gym throughout the year—like Veterans Day, the Endowment play, graduation, blood drive and prom. When those events are happening, the gym can’t be used for anything else. If weather is bad and the elementary classes have indoor recess, there isn’t another location to take the PE classes. PE times overlap with junior high sports, so the gym is often unavailable.

 

In a K-12 school, lots of classes are vying for room for physical activity, a critical component of our education curriculum. Having one gym means that some kids lose out on that opportunity. Our current gymnasium doubles as our performing arts space, making the overcrowding situation even worse.

Community members shared other reasons to support the gym, including:

• More Instructional Time: Students miss class time because home game times have to be stacked with other events and start early. Later start times will reduce missed instructional time for students and allow parents more time to attend events.

• Family-Friendly: Gets kids home at a more reasonable time for family dinners and evening events. Regular family meals are priceless emotionally, and are also associated with lower rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, tobacco use, early teenage pregnancy, and higher rates of resilience and higher self-esteem, all of which impact mental health. Two varsity-sized gym spaces will allow after-school practices to happen simultaneously, so students aren't practicing during what has traditionally been reserved for family time.

• Expanded Opportunities: The ability to host additional activities will boost the local economy, with increased teams and spectators coming to our town. While they are here, we can expect some to make purchases and infuse additional tax dollars from outside our community.  

• Community Hub: Our new gym provides an additional space for community events, like blood drives.

• Improved Conditions: Air conditioning ensures safe indoor temperatures for fall athletes, unlike our current gym, which is only heated. Temperatures get extremely hot in the gym.

• Enhanced Safety: Additional locker rooms provide more space for student-athletes of all ages, but more importantly, will provide a storm shelter that is accessible to all students and staff.

 

What is the seating capacity of the proposed second gym?

The gym is designed to be flexible to be used in various configurations. For standard basketball and volleyball games as well as for wrestling meets, the bleachers will seat 1,200. For special events, like graduation, an additional 650 seats can be added to the floor. Youth tournaments could have two courts and seating of up to 370. For more detail, visit the Project page and click through the gallery of plans.

 

What other options were considered as solutions to our needs?

A building committee has been meeting since April 2023 to determine the needs of the school district. A brand new school was never an option due to cost. The total of all identified needs was $34.6 million, which was still not an option due to cost. After prioritizing the needs  throughout 2023, the high-cost iteration was $24.6 million and low-cost was $16.3 million. After a well-attended public community meeting, the building committee considered the feedback received and requested changes to the design to have a bond for less than $14 million, that still meets many of the District’s short-term, urgent facility needs. When that bond failed in March, school leaders gathered feedback from residents.

This proposal reduces the cost of the bond by $1 million and provides the academic space our school needs. 

 

How was the $12,995,000 bond amount determined?

The district has partnered with CWP Architects and BD Construction to help us obtain accurate budget numbers for this project. BD used current and historical cost data for similar education addition and renovation projects in our region to help the school set the bond amount. After the bond passes, all divisions of work will be put out for bid. The final bond amount cannot exceed $12,995,000.

 

What happens after the bond passes? 

As soon as the bond passes, the architect begins about four to six months of work to develop detailed drawings. Construction typically starts six months following bond passage.

Once design details are finalized, the construction company will create a phasing plan. BD Construction specializes in school remodels and additions and develops phasing to limit disruption to students. Often, additions are built first so that students can be moved into those spaces. As students move out of existing classrooms and into new spaces, those existing rooms can be remodeled. BD also creates the schedule to complete as much work as possible over summer break.

 

When would the bond affect my taxes?

With the November 2024 election, the tax impact for the district wouldn't start until calendar year 2026." 

 

What happens if the bond doesn’t pass?

Much time and planning has gone into a project that addresses safety and security concerns, provides additional learning space for all students, and provides for the needs of our current students with room for potential growth. If the bond fails our district will continue to face facility challenges that cannot be tackled with available annual funding. 

 

What will happen with the swimming pool?

The Village of Palmer has deeded the parcel of the swimming pool to Palmer Public Schools. The Village of Palmer is in the process of relocating the pool. The current pool property will be part of the paved parking lot. We have had preliminary discussions with a local community member to remove the concrete at no cost to the District. 

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What will happen to the "Old Gym and Wellness Center" located at 801 Templin Ave?

Tentative plans are for it to continue to be used in the community as an Events Center. Currently, the Legion is used for some events in town, but it is limited in capacity size. A Community Event Center could be used for weddings, graduations, and other large gatherings.

 

Were other funding sources, like grants or federal funds, considered for this project?

The district will pursue every available funding opportunity to reduce the bond amount and has already begun discussing potential grants, donations and sponsorships to help offset costs. Most grant applications require a shovel-ready project, meaning we must demonstrate funding support from the community along with detailed architectural plans to show exactly how we will use the funding.

 

Typically, schools begin to apply for grants during the architecture design phase of a project, which in our case will be the six months following the successful passage of the bond. The district has time to further pursue promising grants after the bond passes. These funding sources can be used to pay off the bond earlier. Because bonds are issued in multiple series (and not all at once), grant dollars that are received later in the process can reduce the amount of the bond accordingly.

 

Some of the grants under discussion include ones from the Nebraska Department of Education, the Department of Energy, as well as local and statewide foundations.

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Why should I vote for a school addition if I don’t have kids in school? 

Aside from the moral argument that everyone benefits from an educated population, good schools make communities more vibrant, dynamic and attractive. The quality of a community’s schools is one of the main criteria for businesses and individuals who are seeking to relocate. Even more importantly, good schools are essential to young families considering the Palmer area as a home, and for opt-in students. If we hope to maintain a thriving community, we must continue to invest in our facilities.

 

When was the last time the school district implemented a bond?

On May 10, 1994, the community passed a bond for a building addition. The results were:

For:  65.2%

Against:  34.8%

 

Is this the right time to build?

Our bond amount includes projected inflation and contingency to ensure the project can be built for the amount on the ballot. While construction volatility has stabilized, the cost to build schools will only continue to rise. The longer we wait to address the district’s needs, the higher the cost will be. 

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Waiting for bond rates to come down or for commodities to improve may result in higher construction costs due to annual inflation. A bond issue becomes the responsibility of all district patrons over an extended period, during which the economic environment may change. Additionally, almost all school bond issues are refinanced at some point during their maturity to lower rates, allowing them to be paid off earlier or resulting in a reduction in the annual tax request for bond payments.

 

Are these plans final?

The space layout and renderings provide a general idea of how this scope will look in terms of the exterior and location of major spaces (classrooms, commons, gymnasium, storm shelter/locker rooms, corridors) to help with budgetary purposes. After the bond passes, the architect will fine-tune details during four- to six-months of intensive design work to develop a complete set of plans.

 

For example, the parking lot will be adjusted with the help of civil engineer to create an efficient layout, handicap parking spots, turning radius, bus access and site drainage. The design team will have in-depth discussions with the district on how the site can best function for traffic flow and student safety. This collaborative approach to the design work will happen within all areas of the building.

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If the bond passes, when would construction begin? Would students be able to use existing classrooms, or would they be moved around due to construction? 

As soon as the bond passes, the architect begins about six months of work to develop detailed drawings. Construction typically starts six to nine months following bond passage.

 

Once design details are finalized, the construction company will create a phasing plan. BD Construction specializes in school remodels and additions, and develops phasing to limit disruption to students. Often, additions are built first so that students can be moved into those spaces. As students move out of existing classrooms and into new spaces, those existing rooms can be remodeled. BD also creates the schedule to complete as much work as possible over summer break.

 

How can I get more information regarding the bond issue?

A group of community members is working to provide many opportunities for registered voters to become informed about the bond issue and vote on November 5. The goal is to make sure every voter has access to accurate information before receiving their ballot.

If you would like more information, plan to attend the school open house on Tuesday, October 1 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

On Sunday, October 13 at 12:45 p.m., you are invited to a formal presentation about the project with an opportunity to visit with the architect, municipal advisor and construction manager.

 

How will LB34 affect my property taxes?

District residents will automatically receive school district tax credit (around 30%) without filing for it on your tax return as a result of LB34. While this tax credit does not apply to bond tax, it does provide automatic credits on your property tax statement for your property taxes paid to the district. The Unicameral passed LB34 in August 2024.